Baby Bottles

With word starting to spread about the potential dangers of many baby bottles, Ron Vigdor has seen a rapid increase in orders for the ones he sells -- bottles that aren't made from a chemical associated with neurological damage in lab animals. Vigdor, 37, is president of Boca Raton-based Born Free LLC. In less than two years, he has seen his business grow dramatically, thanks largely to a distribution agreement with Whole Foods Market. "Sales were slow in the beginning, before the Whole Foods deal.

Imagine your infant tossing a glass baby bottle. It shatters and you try to clean it up before your child crawls across the floor. Now imagine a plastic bottle falling — no worry. That is why babies have been tossing break-proof plastic bottles for decades — we value safety. Yet now, environmental activists are urging us to go back to glass, and they have convinced some lawmakers to consider banning the plastic. Greens say a chemical — bisphenol A, or BPA — used to make plastic baby bottles and many other products is dangerous to humans because high doses are dangerous to rats.

Days after Jamie and Kurt Rhodes had their first baby, Annabelle, they heard a news report last month about a new study saying clear plastic baby bottles can leach a harmful chemical into the liquid. The Plantation couple had already stocked up with the widely used polycarbonate bottles, sippy cups and dishes, and now they're not sure whether to be worried or what to do next. "What else are you going to use? What are your alternatives?" Jamie Rhodes said. "Glass? That can shatter. The government says [polycarbonate]

Not quite as nice as being diaper free, but our first few days without having bottles around has really been liberating. Needless to say, this did not come without a price. Let me set the stage a little. Both of our boys sleep in the same room, and both would go to bed with full bottles in hand. We know it's not a good habit, but this is where we ended up. Our routine would consist of filling up bottles to keep them happy during the night. Not good for any of us. Giving up the bottle was not a big deal for our 19-month-old.

Baby bottles left sterilizing on a stove caused a fire on Wednesday night that did $35,000 in damage to a condo unit west of Delray Beach. Firefighters were called shortly after 8 p.m. for a fire in the unit in the 5300 block of Poppy Lane. The fire was brought under control within minutes. Gina Pinsky of Montreal said the condo unit was owned by her grandmother, with whom she was staying. Pinsky said the fire was caused by baby bottles that accidentally were left sterilizing on the stove when the family went out to dinner.

BOCA RATON West Boca Medical Center is trying to help victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America. The hospital west of Boca Raton has designated itself as a drop-off center for the community. The effort has been organized to send food, clothes and medical supplies to shelters in Central America. Some of the items needed are nonperishable foods, baby food, liquid milk, medicines, disposable diapers, blankets, sheets, child and adult clothing, baby bottles, flashlights and batteries.

Three years ago, like millions of new and clueless mothers, I used shatterproof Avent baby bottles, made from clear, polycarbonate plastic. At the time, it never dawned on me that baby bottles, of all things, would leach a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, into the breast milk I had so dutifully pumped. And I wasn't worried that the federal government would find that exposure to this ubiquitous chemical may pose a health risk, especially to fetuses, infants and children. But that was the unnerving conclusion of a draft report released last week by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, which said exposure to BPA may be linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer and early puberty in girls.

Children at Seton Ridge Preschool recently participated in "Milk Mondays," collecting coins in baby bottles to help buy formula and baby food for needy children across Broward County. "Our parents loved this program," said Mari Kelley, director of the private school in Coral Springs. "It was another way to help them teach their children about giving on a level they can understand." Michele Beck, development director at Gateway Community Outreach in Deerfield Beach, initiated the Milk Monday program.

WEST PALM BEACH -- When the music died and the crowd fled, Frito-Lay was left at SunFest holding the bags. But representatives of the Dallas-based snack company knew just what to do. They took the extra SunChips they had promoted at the four-day jazz festival along Flagler Drive and donated them to the Children`s Place shelter for abused children in West Palm Beach. Meanwhile, one of the last vendors to leave SunFest was faced with an even stickier situation: melting ice cream bars. The vendor ended up treating 30 or so workers who spent late Sunday and early Monday cleaning up after one of Palm Beach County`s biggest annual festivals.

Dear Heloise: Before throwing your toddler's baby things away, consider these recycling hints: * Baby spoons are great for retrieving capers, olives, etc. out of small bottle openings or the last of the peanut butter from the jar. * Cloth diapers or burp rags make perfect cleaning cloths. * Soft baby brushes clean dust and dirt from tight corners (or lampshades _ H). * Plastic baby bottles can be filled with a few dried beans or peas, sealed tightly and used as a rattle. _ Sharon Sands Dear Heloise: To keep track of the miscellaneous dishes that belong in our motor home, I put a dab of bright-red nail polish on the handle of a skillet, the bottom of plastic ware or on the edge of a pitcher.

Three years ago, like millions of new and clueless mothers, I used shatterproof Avent baby bottles, made from clear, polycarbonate plastic. At the time, it never dawned on me that baby bottles, of all things, would leach a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, into the breast milk I had so dutifully pumped. And I wasn't worried that the federal government would find that exposure to this ubiquitous chemical may pose a health risk, especially to fetuses, infants and children. But that was the unnerving conclusion of a draft report released last week by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, which said exposure to BPA may be linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer and early puberty in girls.

Days after Jamie and Kurt Rhodes had their first baby, Annabelle, they heard a news report last month about a new study saying clear plastic baby bottles can leach a harmful chemical into the liquid. The Plantation couple had already stocked up with the widely used polycarbonate bottles, sippy cups and dishes, and now they're not sure whether to be worried or what to do next. "What else are you going to use? What are your alternatives?" Jamie Rhodes said. "Glass? That can shatter. The government says [polycarbonate]

With word starting to spread about the potential dangers of many baby bottles, Ron Vigdor has seen a rapid increase in orders for the ones he sells -- bottles that aren't made from a chemical associated with neurological damage in lab animals. Vigdor, 37, is president of Boca Raton-based Born Free LLC. In less than two years, he has seen his business grow dramatically, thanks largely to a distribution agreement with Whole Foods Market. "Sales were slow in the beginning, before the Whole Foods deal.

Children at Seton Ridge Preschool recently participated in "Milk Mondays," collecting coins in baby bottles to help buy formula and baby food for needy children across Broward County. "Our parents loved this program," said Mari Kelley, director of the private school in Coral Springs. "It was another way to help them teach their children about giving on a level they can understand." Michele Beck, development director at Gateway Community Outreach in Deerfield Beach, initiated the Milk Monday program.

While the debate over artificial intelligence continues, a certain toy box staple has been gradually accumulating skills in recent years. For centuries, children -- and even some adults -- have been playing with dolls. But what began as an innocent, immobile, babylike toy can now do any number of things. With the help of things like ice and hot water, dolls can open and close their eyes, apply or remove makeup, and bruise and heal their arms and legs. Some dolls pose for pictures with the aid of a toy camera, while others cry out for their "mother."

Dear Ann Landers: Our 8-year-old son has been asking for a baby bottle. This has been going on for at least a year, and my husband and I are at our wits' end. There has been no recent trauma in our lives, our marriage is fine, and we haven't moved or made any big changes. My son seems to be a normal boy, and is doing well in school. I told him I would write to you about his request, and he is willing to give some thought to what you have to say. Should we give him a bottle and hope it is harmless?

Teens: Turn down that stereo and stay far away from the speakers when you go to a concert. University of Florida researchers have found that 17 percent of middle and high school students already have lost some ability to hear, and their hearing will continue to deteriorate if they don't protect themselves from loud music, motorcycle engine noise, the sound of guns being fired during target practice and other noise. "They probably haven't noticed that they have lost the ability to hear very high pitches," said Alice Holmes, associate professor of communicative disorders at UF's College of Health Professions.

BOCA RATON West Boca Medical Center is trying to help victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America. The hospital west of Boca Raton has designated itself as a drop-off center for the community. The effort has been organized to send food, clothes and medical supplies to shelters in Central America. Some of the items needed are nonperishable foods, baby food, liquid milk, medicines, disposable diapers, blankets, sheets, child and adult clothing, baby bottles, flashlights and batteries.